Review of The Young and the Damned (1950) by Douglas L — 28 May 2013

What a gem of a movie! It's one of these films that despite the large quantity of films I've watched it still finds a high rank in my all time favorites and currently, after my first viewing, I've placed it in the 16th place. It is in good company right between "Oldboy" and "Barton Fink". This film is Buñuel's take on Mexican neorealism and it surpasses all the films of Italian neorealism that I've seen. This, in reality, is Buñuel conquering both worlds. After he had conquered the surrealistic world with the ever so incredible "Un Chien Andalou" he conquers the realistic world with this one.

The story of the movie revolves around a gang of teenage and even younger delinquents who roam the unforgiving streets of Mexico City in search of money, fun, cigarettes and even love or a purpose in life. It is a cruel setting with the whole of society, except for a small minority, including their parents being extremely tough on these children and never showing a glimpse of forgivness to their behaviour. Never admitting the fact that they've created these little monsters, as they consider them, and always whistling to their own tune of survival.

The screenplay is amazing. Every event is stringed to the other in a way that, from these everyday brutal events, a coherent and enticing plot is created that keeps your attention glued to the screen. The movie is based on actual facts mind you! The ending is a logical conclussion to the whole story and suits the tone and events the preceed it like a glove.

Now let's talk direction. Buñuel proves for the second time after "Un Chien Andalou" that he is an auteur and a true master of cinema. He does that in a completely different style and genre to the aformentioned movie. His shots are as if someone has carved Guernica to a cave wall. Rough, brutal but also absolutely beautiful in a twisted way. In contrast to Guernica though they are completely realistic. Well, there is a little surrealism in the film. It features two dream sequences that are handled in a sublime and very effective way. Every close up Buñuel choses is a justified one and his actors really offer some great and iconic faces to get up close and personal with. But other than the close ups the movie doesn't dissapoint either. The cinematography is stunning. Every location is searched to the last bit and as a whole Mexico City creates something of a canvas for Buñuel and his cinematographer to paint on. This only adds up to the harsness of the screenplay and the events that are depicted. The use of music is the least memorable part of the movie but still it augments the picture in a fine way.

That being said, no realistic movie would be complete without the matching performances. Needless to say the movie fails to dissapoint in this department. The cast is brilliant as a whole but the standouts are Alfonso Mejia, Roberto Cobo, Alma Delia Fuentes and especially Miguel Inclan. Miguel Inclan portrays an old blind man who acts as a self proclaimed judge for these children never letting a bit of kindness find his way in his words. But that's not to say that the younger members of the cast are a bit less spellbinding. The performances were so naturalistic that I thought I was watching a documentary for the most part of the movie! It felt like real life.

Now, about what the movie has to say. The gist of it all. It is very simple and very profound really. DON'T KILL YOUR FUTURE! The way that society, their parents mostly, is treating these children is destructive. The children are not to blame really. Besides they 're too young and too mislead to really understand anything. Society breeds murderers. And that, my friends, is not only a mistake. It is a crime. A crime against life. Because people from all lengths and widths of society can make one divine act in their life. They can create life by having children. To not preserve that life and waste it equals suicide. That's why I think that the movie is timeless from this standpoint.

In conclussion, I think that only one Buñuel movie is better than this one and that's "Un Chien Andalou". Still I don't think that I'll ever watch another Buñuel movie that will surpass the brilliance and sheer perfection of "Los Olvidados".